Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Diverticulitis is a condition in which muscle tissue of the colon and intestines bulges out into the peritoneal cavity forming a tissue protrusion called a diverticulum. Diverticula can also form due to muscle weakness within the colon walls, which may cause the colon muscle tissue to separate and allow parts of the inner mucosal membrane to be pushed out into the peritoneal space as a tissue protrusion or diverticulum. Diverticula can also occur in other anatomical structures, such as the esophagus, duodenum, bladder, and heart, as a few examples.
Diverticula can become inflamed and infected due to entrapped fecal matter and bacterial growth, which may cause mild to severe symptoms in individuals. Treatment of the systems may often require invasive surgery in order to remove the inflamed diverticula and segments or portions of the intestines where the diverticula are located.